Skye Camanachd 5 Inverness 0 | |
13 April 2015 Skye Camanachd are through to the second round of the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup after they beat Inverness 5-0 at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree on Saturday 11 April 2015. Skye Camanachd second team manager Davie Pringle named a pool of fifteen players. He was without reserve team captain David MacInnes and Alan Palmer who were called up to the Skye first team. Aonghas MacDonald, Marcus Ross and the injured Calum Gibb dropped out of the squad. However Pringle added Ryan Morrison, who started in goal, Daniel Morrison, Iain Murray, Stewart Grant and John MacKenzie to his pool of players whilst Will Cowie was a late addition and he started on the bench. Neither Murray nor Cowie were able to travel with the Skye first team to Bute and their inclusion added quality to the squad. Inverness player / manager Jason MacLeod added Ewen MacKinnon, who missed Skye’s 6-0 win when the sides met in the league a week earlier and the Skye Camanachd 1990 Camanachd Cup winner started at full centre. MacKinnon’s son William MacKinnon made is second reserve appearance at wing forward. Clive Girvan, Craig Girvan, Donnie Forbes were all still out and Chris Johnston travelled to Aberdour with the Inverness first team. Andy Henderson and Paul Bowman were also missing from the previous week’s team and former Fort William player Davie Duncan was a late call-off. 13 year old Michael Chisholm started in attack. This was a second successive meeting between the sides at the same venue with Skye running out 6-0 Marine Harvest North Divison 2 winners just a week earlier and the 2.30pm throw up was broadcast LIVE on Cuillin FM’s Camanachd Live show. The contest was refereed by Andy MacLean who served both Skye Camanachd and Inverness with distinction. MacLean’s six season spell with Skye coincided with the Islanders lifting the Camanachd Cup in 1990 when he was a regular in the side. His late father was also a Skye Camanachd player and he was a member of the team’s 1950 Sutherland Cup winning side. He also played for Inverness for a couple of years straight afterwards. There had been some heavy showers ahead of throw up which left the pitch on the soft side and Skye, playing unusually in red tops, hit towards the Viewfield end of Pairc nan Laoch in the first half. Skye attacked from the throw up and Inverness keeper Allan MacLeod used his foot to block a John Angus MacInnes effort from the edge of the D. Skye’s continued to push forward and James Pringle darted in at the back post to get on the end of an Iain MacLellan cross on 7 minutes but Pringle sent his shot wide with keeper Allan MacLeod guarding his left post. Allan MacLeod again saved from John Angus MacInnes on 18 minutes before the keeper cleared his lines. John MacKenzie took the ball down but tugged his shot wide of target a couple of minutes later. A Skye goal seemed inevitable and it came on 27 minutes. John MacKenzie collected possession after some good wing play from James Pringle. MacKenzie got on the end of Pringle’s cross and showed a burst of speed, beating two Inverness defenders, before shooting low into the net to make it 1-0. Good play from Iain MacLellan created a chance for James Pringle moments later but his shot went over the top. A good first half stoppage time run forward from John Angus MacInnes ended when he laid the ball off to John MacKenzie but his shot went wide. Despite dominating the first half, Skye struggled to get shots on target and they had to settle for a single goal lead at the break. Skye manager Davie Pringle could not have been overly-impressed with his team’s first half performance as he made three changes at the interval. A limping DJ Gilpin, John MacKenzie and Iain Murray all came off with Andrew Banks slotting into the defence, youngster Ross Nicolson coming on at wing centre and Will Cowie on to energise the attack. Allan MacLeod saved with his feet from Iain MacLellan and cleared for a corner as Skye continued to pressure the Inverness goal. MacLeod made another good stop, again with his feet, this time from James Pringle. Skye doubled their advantage 4 minutes into the second half with John Angus MacInnes on target. It was now one-way traffic and a John Angus MacInnes shot flashed wide following a Skye corner. Allan MacLeod then saved from John Angus MacInnes at the expense of a corner and when the ball was played across, it broke to the impressive James Pringle who crashed a shot home to make it 3-0 with 55 minutes played. There was a rare bit of action for Ryan Morrison in the Skye goal as he had to come off his line to clear a Ewen MacKinnon ball into the D. Skye had noticeably upped the pace in the second half and James Pringle got his second on 62 minutes to make it 4-0. Stewart Grant set a 40 yard drive in on the Inverness goal but Allan MacLeod stopped the ball and cleared for a corner on the Skye right which was taken by Ali “Cleodi” MacLeod. Skye made the set-piece count with the Inverness defence looking hesitant and James Pringle steered the bouncing ball home. Inverness made a switch on 68 minutes with Inverness U14 captain Hannah Johnston took over from Jack Craig at full forward. Stuart MacRae sent the ball just the wrong side of the post on 76 minutes with Ryan Morrison coming off his line to narrow angle. Allan MacLeod made a superb save from Stewart Grant a minute later with an Inverness defender penalised for a “kick” as the visitors tried to clear the danger and referee Andy MacLean pointed to the penalty spot. Stewart Grant’s well-struck penalty was brilliantly saved by Inverness keeper Allan MacLeod above his head with his caman on 77 minutes and although Iain MacLellan scored from the rebound, his effort was correctly ruled out by referee Andy MacLean for offside. Will Cowie released John Angus MacInnes down the Skye right on 81 minutes and MacInnes’ first time cross found John MacKenzie in space at the back post but he screwed his shot wide with only keeper Allan MacLeod to beat. Will Cowie had played his part in Skye’s improved second half showing and he thumped a John MacKenzie cross from the left into the roof of the net to make it 5-0 on 84 minutes. Inverness goalie Allan MacLeod was having a busy second half and he made another eye-catching save, just under the bar, from John MacKenzie with just 4 minutes remaining. Allan MacLeod then used his mid-rift to block a John Angus MacInnes drive, and he stopped a Will Cowie shot with his foot and with no further scoring, the Skye Camanachd reserves will now host Marine Harvest South Division 2 side Col Glen in the next round of the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup. Skye Camanachd from: Ryan Morrison; David Grant, Daniel Morrison, Kyle Pirie, Stewart Grant (captain); Ally “Cleodi” MacLeod, Iain Murray, DJ Gilpin; John MacKenzie, James Pringle, Iain MacLellan, John Angus MacInnes; subs Andrew Banks, Ross Nicolson, Will Cowie Inverness from: Allan MacLeod; Jason MacLeod, Iain Greenhouse, Colin Fraser, Mike Price; Martin Munro, Ewen MacKinnon, Brian MacKain; Stuart MacRae (captain), Michael Chisholm, William MacKinnon, Jack Craig; subs Hannah Johnson, Gary Lightbody Match Referee – Andy MacLean The match balls were sponsored by Nor-Dan |